Keywords
quantitative reasoning, mathematics curriculum, general education, pedagogy
Abstract
This keynote address explores the history and role of college math requirements with a focus on ensuring math courses serve to expand students’ horizons, rather than serve as gatekeepers. It discusses the advent of general education math courses, which brought more students into math departments, which ultimately contributed to broadening the scope of the courses to align with more students’ interests and majors, since their purpose was to advance quantitative reasoning, not mathematics skill per se. It also examines several practices to address calculus’ gatekeeping role: revising placement practices and prerequisites, redesigning courses, and updating instruction and assessment practices. Lastly, it considers the role of college admission requirements in perpetuating an overemphasis on calculus coursetaking.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.17.2.1463
Recommended Citation
Burdman, Pamela. "Quantitative Reasoning: What’s Math Got To Do With It?." Numeracy 17, Iss. 2 (2024): Article 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.17.2.1463
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
